Raven Johnson, Kamilla Cardoso making their AAU connection work for South Carolina
Raven Johnson has tallied 106 assists for South Carolina this season. From that number, 29 — more than a quarter of those assists — have gone to Kamilla Cardoso.
Johnson is the shortest player on USC’s roster at 5-foot-8. Cardoso stands the tallest at 6-foot-7. But it’s not just Cardoso’s height that makes her an easy target for Johnson. It’s their familiarity with each other’s playing styles.
“When Kamilla’s on the court, that’s my first look,” Johnson said.
Johnson and Cardoso’s bond dates back to their high school years. The two were AAU teammates for FBC Hunt in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Johnson was a class below Cardoso, but coach Keisha Hunt convinced the program director to let Johnson play in the older division. Hunt saw promise in Johnson as an eighth-grader, which resulted in her playing with high school seniors as a sophomore.
Cardoso and Johnson played on the same team for two years, winning tournament after tournament. Their highest achievement together was winning the inaugural girls Under Armour league in 2019.
“I don’t remember our wins because you play a lot in travel ball,” Hunt said about the team’s record with the USC duo. “I know it was a lot of wins to one loss.”
Hunt described Cardoso as a high-IQ player in AAU, with the ability to pass the ball well. She also had the speed to get up and down the court.
Johnson, Hunt said, has always used active hands on defense and pushes the pace, just like she does at South Carolina.
Johnson was a player who showed strong decision-making skills and managed to get the ball to everyone on the court.
“She is the epitome of having a coach on the floor,” Hunt said.
This season is the first time the two have shared the court for a long period of time since high school. Cardoso went to Syracuse for her freshman year before transferring to USC. The next year, Johnson suffered a knee injury two games into the season.
The two picked up where they left off this season. Cardoso leads the bench unit in scoring, and Johnson, who also comes off the bench, leads the team as a whole in assists.
“Since the first time I played with her, we had a great chemistry,” Cardoso said. “We still have it now. I love playing with my girl. She’s always gonna find me, and I’m gonna find her.”
Hunt has seen growth in both players’ games, but especially Cardoso.
Cardoso lived with Hunt after coming to the United State from Brazil. She initially kept a more reserved personality, which translated on the court. But she eventually grew past that and became a more assertive player who finishes around the rim better than she did in high school.
“Now, to see her finally being confident enough in herself to not play reserved and just to let loose and play,” Hunt said. “That’s what I’ve seen in her in college.”
South Carolina’s bench unit has been dubbed “the energizers,” with Johnson and Cardoso leading the charge.
Johnson made the SEC’s All-Freshman team, and Cardoso was named the Sixth Woman of the Year while also getting the nod for All-SEC second team.
“We push each other,” Johnson said. “When we get in, let’s bring the energy. Let’s bring that fire power. So me and Kamilla, we feed off each other. I definitely feed off her. She’s my bail out, pretty much. If I don’t see anything, I’m hoping to get it to her.”
USC coach Dawn Staley in November said the coaching staff is intentional about playing the two at the same time. She believes Cardoso can be a dominant player, and Johnson helps maximize her strengths.
“Raven forces Kamilla to do some things that she just doesn’t do naturally playing with anybody else,” Staley said. “She passes the ball to her high. She passes the ball up the floor in transition and makes her go catch, and makes her go score.”
Johnson and Cardoso’s bond extends off the court.
The two are roommates and see each other practically every day. The constant encouragement they give to each other comes as a byproduct of the time they spend together.
“We eat together, we go shoot together, we talk together — everything,” Johnson said.
Hunt commends Cardoso and Johnson for their progress as players, but also their character off the court. She said she hasn’t missed a game since the two reunited.
Although she has coached talented players in the past, few teams have clicked like her AAU squad with Johnson and Cardoso.
“It is such a pleasure to watch the games and see them as teammates,” Hunt said. “As soon as I knew that they were about to be reunited in college, I knew it was gonna be something special.”
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 8:58 AM with the headline "Raven Johnson, Kamilla Cardoso making their AAU connection work for South Carolina."
